§ Mr. Leightonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of the interest bill on commercial debt (a) excluding and (b) including loans for land purchases, as a percentage of fanning income in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. WigginEstimates of farming income and interest on commercial debt, excluding loans for land purchase, are given in table 21 of the White Paper "Annual Review of Agriculture 1981" (Cmnd. 8132). Estimated interest, including that on loans for land purchase, is as follows.
£ million 1976 185 1977 199 1978 248 1979 391 1980 556 It would not be proper to express interest as a percentage of farming income since interest, excluding that on land purchase, has already been charged in that calculation.